Newsletter Spring 2012.Pub
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Monks Orchard Residents’ Association MORA COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2011-2012 www.monks-orchard-web.org.uk email: [email protected] Chairman Dave King 8 777 9055 Croydon Vice Chairman Vacancy - (Non Party) (Independent) Secretary Mary Evans 8 777 4230 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Treasurer Terry Greenwood 8 405 8991 NEWSLETTER - Spring 2012 Planning Ian Fraser 8 654 5787 Membership Secretary Diane McInerney 8 654 6985 Editor/Website Derek Ritson 8 777 6669 Police Liaison Jean Cook 8 777 4927 Primary Care Mercia Nash 8 654 4041 Social Secretary Christine Ross-Smith 8 654 3175 Transport & Highways Vacancy - Ward Panel Rep. Joan Pring 8 656 2296 Trees & Open Spaces Sue & Martyn Buchanan 8 777 7263 Committee Members and { Michael Nash 8 654 4041 Area Managers { Patricia Turner 8 777 9402 { Anne Horton 8 656 8009 Committee Member Nicki Smith 8 654 2194 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — MONKS ORCHARD RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM Woodland Way, Shirley ‘I wish to become a member of the Monks Orchard Residents’ Association’ Name: Signature: I N T H I S I S S U E: Page 2 Chairman's Comments Page 12 Planning Report Page 3 The Shirley Green Triangle Page 13 Digital TV Changeover Address: Page 4 Shirley Singers Page 14 Shirley & Ashburton SNT Page 5 Thank You - Help for Page 15 Membership of the Association Heroes Page 16 Burning Waste in Beddington Page 6 MORA 2012 AGM Page 19 Letter from a member Post Code: Page 7 New procedures for Page 20 Calling all Dog Owners planning applications Page 21 Shirley Supper Club Page 8 Not Plymouth Hoe – But Page 22 MORA Accounts 2011 Please send this completed form to: DIANE MCINERNEY 11 Gladeside, CR0 7RL. Page 9 R.F.Delderfield Page 23 Maurice Swift Obituary Page 10 The Localism Act Page 24 Committee Members 2011-12 Thank you for supporting MORA. Explained Please pass on to a non-member. Printed by MARSTAN PRESS The Monks Orchard Residents' Association was founded in 1923, and Bexleyheath Kent Tel: 020 8 301 5900 represents approximately 2,000 residents. 24 Chairman’s Comments Maurice John Swift By the time you read this we will be well into 2012, our Olympic year, and I th th trust all those who have applied for tickets have been successful in their 20 August 1921 – 20 December 2011 application. It is with regret that we have to inform As you are aware, we have for some time had vacancies on our members of MORA and friends, of the Committee and I am pleased to report we have recently recruited a death of Maurice Swift, past Honorary husband-and-wife team, namely Martyn and Sue Buchannan, to look after Secretary of the Monks Orchard Residents Association and later, a Life our trees and green spaces. Member of the Association. This is an important role as they will be reporting to the Council any areas Maurice was born in Kensington on which require attention, such as broken trees, etc. They will try to retain 20th August 1921. the character of a few acres of our Sceptred Isle. The family moved to Beckenham in This brings me to the point that we still need someone to represent us on the early thirties and he attended the Transport and Highways. Anyone interested, please telephone either Habadasher’s Aske’s School. Maurice myself or any Committee member and we will invite you to meet the enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1940 Committee at one of our meetings. You can be assured of a welcome. where he became a signaller and served at one time under Lord Mountbatten. We also require some Area Managers and Road Stewards to assist Diane in collecting subscriptions. Without subscriptions MORA will fail and we Maurice married Betty in 1953 and they had three daughters. He was cannot let that happen after 88 years. already on the committee of the ‘East Ward Ratepayer Association’ before the name was changed to the ‘Monks Orchard Residents’ I personally am a ‘new boy’ to MORA and your Committee has worked Association’ and served for many years as our Secretary. He was closely hard to keep various developers and their ill-conceived ideas on their involved with the Special Refuse Collections that MORA arranged for toes, which brings me to a letter we have recently received from Mr. Peter residents about 4 times each year before the Council withdrew the Kelly thanking MORA for their successes in the ongoing battle over the service. endless creep of infill developments blighting our suburbs. With Peter’s After retirement, Maurice became active for animal rights, travelling all permission we include at page 19 his letter to MORA. The Committee over Europe whilst still continuing to be an important member of MORA’s appreciates such comments. committee. You will also read elsewhere the proposals to build an incinerator in When his health forced him to give up active life he and Betty moved to Waddon. It appeared the discussions were held ‘in camera’ and the Eastbourne where he died suddenly on 20th December 2011. backbench councillors and press excluded. They were told to leave the The Funeral Service took place on 12th January at Beckenham Chamber as it was “ none of their business.” I leave you to make up your Crematorium and was attended by members of the MORA Committee. own minds what this means to democracy! The Service was conducted by the Rev. Carol Jones – a long-time friend and for some years responsible for the MORA funded Over 60’s Club at A date for your diary—the MORA 2012 AGM on 20th April [see page 6]. St George’s Church. We offer our condolences to Betty, their daughters, other family members Dave King and friends. Chairman 2 23 M O R A ACCOUNT OF INCOME & EXPENDITURE FOR THE The Shirley Green Triangle YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2011 MORA are delighted that the Council have now rejected the application for the erection of up to 50 assisted living apartments for the INCOME 2011 2010 elderly. SUBSCRIPTIONS 4,104.00 3,926.00 We know and appreciate all the hard work that BANK INTEREST 4.00 9.00 ADVERTISING REVENUE 1,734.00 2,290.00 many of our members have put in to DONATIONS 3.00 20.00 contributing towards this decision. You XMAS REFUND 64.00 nil considered how this proposed development 5,909.00 6,245.00 would affect your lives, your neighbours’ lives EXPENSES and the lives of the wildlife and fauna within this enclosed and protected area. You advised MORA of your concerns. PRINTING & STATI0NERY 4,785.00 4,815.00 We collated your comments, objections, observations and fears and ROAD STEWARDS 400.00 400.00 compared these to planning law. MORA presented our long document to HALL HIRE (AGM) nil 56.25 the Council for their consideration. A total of 36 individual objections and VESTRY HIRE (2) nil 240.00 a petition were sent to the Council. Our joint voice, and the strength of CHAIRMAN’S/SECRETARIAL EXPENSES nil nil our arguments, have won our case, and the plans have been rejected. SUNDRIES 413.00 207.75 Well done to all. The council’s decision was announced on 23rd INSURANCE (BTCV) 100.00 100.00 December, heralding another New Year, which we hope will be another DONATIONS 25.00 50.00 successful planning year for MORA. AUDIT 10.00 10.00 WEBSITE nil nil The developer knew that the ‘Shirley Green Triangle’ had been previously SUBSCRIPTIONS TO BTCV 35.00 35.00 classified by the Council as: TOTAL 5,768.00 5,814.00 SURPLUS 141.00 331.00 A site of nature conservation. A site of Borough Grade II Importance CURRENT ASSETS A site of Local Open Land recognised as being vital for the CURRENT ACCOUNT 6,564.00 6,426.24 quality of life in Croydon. DEPOSIT ACCOUNT 4,950.00 4,946.76 This should have been enough to scupper any plans for development on the site, but the developer argued that these classifications were CURRENT LIABILITIES nil nil NET CURRENT ASSETS 11,514.00 11,373.00 inappropriate as a badger sett was no longer used and the quality of many of the trees was poor. Residents reported that badgers and bats were currently using this area. CARRIED FORWARD FROM PREVIOUS YEAR 11,373.00 11,042.00 MORA recommended that an up-to-date survey should be conducted to BALANCE FOR CURRENT YEAR 141.00 331.00 confirm residents’ observations. MORA also presented evidence that a GRAND TOTAL 11,514.00 11,373.00 Badger sett had been deliberately damaged by blocking entrances and 22 3 scattering broken glass to damage the badgers’ feet. We presented much other information which contradicted the Council’s own planning rules SHIRLEY LUNCH AND SUPPER that define the acceptability of planning applications. The reasons that the Council gave for refusing planning permission were: CLUB “The proposal would involve development on a Site of Nature VISIT TO BRIGHTON, ROYAL PAVILION AND Conservation Importance and Local Open Land and as such would be detrimental to nature conservation interests, trees and the open Lunch in Brighton character of the area, and as such would be contrary to Policies NC1, TUESDAY, 17 April 2012 NC4 and RO8 of the Croydon Replacement Unitary Development Plan) 2006 Saved Policies 7.18 and 7.19 of the London Plan (July 2011).” We are off to Brighton for the day MORA congratulates the Council on their decision. MORA and our on Tuesday 17 April. members put in many hours of work to achieve this result. Some of our Our first stop is at the historic members do not appreciate the volume of work that MORA undertakes to Royal Pavilion that was the protect our environment from inappropriate developments.